Although most individuals who drink alcohol do so safely, many people are unaware of the negative effects -- and some possible benefits -- alcohol can have on health. Between 20% - 40% of hospital admissions are alcohol related nationwide. Nearly 110,000 people die every year from alcohol-related causes.According to the 1998 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, one in three adults aged 18 to 25 are binge drinkers (at least five drinks at a time).One in four children under 18 are exposed to family alcohol problems. According to NIAAA, these children are four times more likely than others to develop alcoholism in later life.Moderate drinking may decrease the risk of heart disease among those at greatest risk, such as men over age 50 and post-menopausal women.
Alcohol can affect your body in the following ways:
*Alcohol increases the acid in your stomach. The irritating effects of alcohol may cause gastritis (inflammation of the lining of the stomach), pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), or a peptic ulcer (a raw area in the lining of the stomach or intestines). Alcohol can also damage your small intestine and keep it from absorbing nutrients.
*Alcohol can keep you from getting deep sleep, which may mean a less restful night's sleep. Also, drinking alcohol can make insomnia worse. Although it may help you go to sleep, when the drink wears off you may wake up earlier. You may also wake up more often to urinate.
*Alcohol can cause gout because it can keep your body from getting rid of uric acid. Gout is a buildup of uric acid that causes inflammation in your joints.
*Drinking too much alcohol puts you at higher risk for cancer of the pancreas, mouth, tongue, and throat. This risk is even greater if you also use tobacco products.
*Alcohol may cause liver cancer, fatty liver, hepatitis, cirrhosis, and other liver disease.
*Drinking too much alcohol makes you lose protein, minerals, and vitamins. Alcohol affects thiamine (vitamin B-1) in particular. Your nerves, muscles, heart, and brain need thiamine to work normally. Lack of thiamine can cause problems with short-term memory, eye movement, walking, cramps, numbness, tingling, and weakness in your legs and hands.
*Drinking too much alcohol also may be part of what causes high blood pressure and strokes. Alcohol can lead to heart muscle disease or heart failure.
*Fetal alcohol syndrome occurs when a woman drinks alcohol while she is pregnant. Drinking may cause problems in the baby that show up after birth. Also, women who drink may be at higher risk of having miscarriages, premature births, stillbirths, and low-birth-weight babies. The more you drink, the greater the danger to the baby. Women who have 1 or more drinks every week are much more likely to have children with FAS than women who seldom drink during pregnancy. Many doctors advise women not to drink any alcohol while trying to become pregnant, during pregnancy, or while breast-feeding.
Alcohol can also cause:
*increased blood sugar levels, which makes diabetes worse
*interactions with medicines
*worsening of most other medical problems (heart disease, kidney disease, circulation problems)
injuries from falls and other accidents.
* Heavy drinking raises the risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, certain cancers, car crashes, unintentional injuries, violence, suicides, birth defects and overall mortality.
Although there is a link between alcohol intake and increased blood pressure (hypertension), the absence or the amount of alcohol that is consumed does not appear to be significantly associated with subsequent hypertension-related events, according to researchers in California.
Dr. Arthur L. Klatsky of the Kaiser Foundation Research Institute, Oakland and colleagues studied data from more than 127,000 subjects who had health examinations between 1978 and 1988. They were stratified into five levels of alcohol consumption, from none to three or more drinks per day.
Using a blood pressure of 120/80 mm Hg as a reference point, the researchers examined blood pressure categories ranging up to higher than 140/90 mm Hg.
Although the risks of reaching subsequent cardiovascular endpoints, including death, hospitalization and outpatient diagnosis of hypertension were greater as blood pressure increased, this was not significantly related to levels of alcohol use.
Thus the researchers conclude, "The risks of hypertension are similar regardless of the amount of alcohol consumption."
They add that hypertension at any level is far from benign and "alcohol-related hypertension belongs on the list of reasons to avoid heavy drinking."
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